HOW TO MAKE ^ ^ <$^ <$> ^ ^ ^ 

IMPR3VEMENT- 

^«* THINNINGS™ 

MASSACHUSETTS WOOBLANDl 




H.O.COOK, M.E.Ass'T. 

UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 

F.Wo RANE , State FoRESTm. 



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HOW TO MAKE 



Improvement Thinnings 



MASSACHUSETTS WOODLANDS 



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H. O. COOK, M.F., Assistant 



UNDER THE DIRECTION OF 



F. W. RANE, State Forester 




BOSTON 

WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS 

18 POST OFFICE SQUARE 

1910 



i>f»^ 






Approved by 
The State Board of Publication. 



D. Of 0- 

m B8 i9ia 



INTRODUCTION. 



This bulletin is published by the State Forester that our people 
may have at their disposal the information so often desired on 
the thinning of woodlands. 

In 1905 the Massachusetts State Forester published a small 
pamphlet on " Improvement Thinnings." The edition of this 
pamphlet has long since been exhausted. 

The present treatise enlarges on the subject, and has much addi- 
tional value in that it contains data and illustrations taken from 
actual experiments. 

While it is believed that after studying this pamphlet carefully 
a man of good judgment should be able to go into his woodlot 
and select approximately at least the right trees to be thinned out, 
yet it must be said that the problems of thinning are many and 
diverse, and it is impossible to give more than the general theory 
in a publication like this. 

Your attention is called to the policy of this office in sending 
out trained foresters at the request of any owners of woodland in 
the State. The forester will go over the land with the owner or his 
agent, and will explain to him his ideas on its treatment. The 
expense to the applicant for this advice is merely the travelling 
expenses of the visiting forester. Application blanks for such work 
can be had through your local forest warden, or by sending directly 
to the State Forester's Office. % 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

The work of writing and compiling the data in this bulletin 
was done by my assistant, ^Ir. H. 0. Cook, M.F., who was assisted 
by Mr. H. F. Gould, M.F., in the field work. 

Particular attention is also called to the " Eeport on the Prac- 
tical Thinning of a AAliite Pine Woodlot," at the end of the bul- 
letin. This work was accomplished under the direction of a former 
assistant, Mr. J. J. Dearborn, who did the work so well that the 
Diamond Match Company sought his services. 

F. W. PANE, 

State Forester. 

6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass., Dec. 24, 1909. 



HOW TO MAKE IMPROVEMENT THINNINGS 
IN MASSACHUSETTS WOODLANDS. 



IMPORTANCE OF THINNING. 

By improvement thinnings and cuttings we mean the systematic 
removal of a portion of the trees in a growing forest, in order to 
benefit the portion that remains. It is the forester's method of 
cultivation, and it is the only practical way he has of increasing 
the yield and improving the quality of his crop. The methods 
of the arboriculturist are, except in limited cases, too costly to have 
a place in practical forestry. 

Those people who doubt the value of forestry practices often 
argue against thinnings, on the ground that nature's methods must 
be the best. It is no more true that nature's methods are best in 
the forest than in the orchard or garden. The practice of thinning 
in European forests for nearly one hundred years has established 
beyond a doubt that this work increases the amount and quality 
of the lumber. In 1830 the average annual growth in German 
forests was 20 cubic feet per acre, while in 1904 it was 65 cubic 
feet, — an increase of 300 per cent., which can be attributed almost 
entirely to the methodical thinning of their forests. 

Nearly 45 per cent, of the land area of Massachusetts is covered 
with some form of woodland growth, which can be apportioned 
roughly among three main types: the pine forest, which has come 
up on abandoned fields and pastures ; the mixed growth, composed 
of hard woods, usually of seedling origin ; together with pine and 
hemlock and sprout forest. Above an altitude of 1,300 feet spruce 
replaces pine. A seedling tree is one which has come from a seed 
or nut; and by a sprout we mean one which had its origin in a 
sucker sent out by a stump from which a tree has been cut. 

The principles of thinning apply to all kinds of forest, but 
it is perhaps the sprout land which chiefly needs improvement. It 
is the largest single t3^pe, and 5^et, with the exception of sprout 
chestnut, which is used for ties and poles, this sprout land is at 
present producing nothing but cord wood. Proper care might 
bring these cord wood stands to producing saw timber. 



IMPROVEMENT THINNINGS IN 



THEORY OF THINNING. 

In order that one ma_y nnderstand the principles which underlie 
the process of thinning, he mnst know something of the physio- 
logical growth of single trees, and of that collection of trees known 
as a forest. 

Plants are made up of tissues composed of numberless small cells. 
These cells are largely composed of carbon derived from the carbon 
dioxide of the air and water. The carbon dioxide enters into the 
leaves through minute pores (stomata), and by the action of the 
sunlight on the green chlorophyll grains, the j^rocess of assimila- 
tion, which in plants answers to digestion in animals, takes place. 
The carbon is combined with the water and a small amount of 
mineral matter taken from the soil by the roots to form the grow- 
ing material of the plant, while the oxygen is returned to the air. 
Therefore any crowding or shading which deprives the tree of these 
necessary agents, foliage and sunlight, checks its volume growth 
in proportion. 

To take a simple example, let us suppose a plantation set out 
with seedlings 6 by 6 feet apart; then there will be 1,210 trees on 
an acre, and each tree will have 36 square feet in which to spread 
its branches. When the side branches meet we have what is called 
a closed stand, and a struggle commences. It is characteristic of 
trees to take all the room they can get; and not having any more 
at the sides, they seek the sunlight by growing upwards at a rapid 
rate. Trees even of the same species differ in their rate of growth, 
so that some get ahead of the others; and when they do, they 
spread out their side branches and so overtop their weaker neigh- 
bors. Unless these overtopped trees happen to be in the class called 
by foresters tolerant, i.e., shade-bearing, they will soon sicken and 
die. By the time our plantation is fifty years old, only 300 trees 
will remain of the original 1,210. 

In the early life of the forest, say the first fifteen to twenty 
years, a sharp conflict of this kind is very useful, for it produces 
all tall, straight trees ; in the second place, on account of the dense 
crowding the side branches are killed off when young, and the tree 
is free from knots; and in the third place, the ground is kept 
shaded and the moisture retained in the soil. After twenty years 
growth, however, these objects have been accomplished, and then 
the forester steps in and opens up the stand so as to allow the 
crowns to spread. Larger crowns mean, of course, a more rapid 
increase in volume growth. Furthermore, the slower-growing trees 



MASSACHUSETTS WOODLANDS. 



are removed while they are still alive and fit for use, and are not 
allowed to gradually sicken and die, an invitation to insects and 
diseases of the forest. 

In the case of sprout land the crowding is generally more severe 
and the need of thinning more urgent than the plantation supposed 
above, for from every stump 10 to 50 suckers may spring, so that 
several thousands of young trees may start up on an acre. 

PRACTICE OF THINNING. 

When to Thin. 

The conditions which exist in most parts of this country do not 
permit us to thin as early or as often as is desirable. The market 
for small-sized wood is uncertain, and we must be satisfied with 
a less intensive cultivation of our forests than our European friends 
enjoy. 

A safe rule to follow is to thin a stand as soon as the material 
to be removed has reached such a size that its sale will pay the cost 
of the removal, and as soon again as the material to be removed 
has accumulated in sufficient quantities to pay the expense involved. 
The profit is to be found in the improved growth of the stand. 
When the woodlot owner is a farmer, or has farm help during the 
winter months, when they might be idle much of the time, the 
net cost of the work may be held quite low. 

A less commercial and a more scientific rule would state that 
a thinning should be made as soon as the trees have attained their 
maximum rate of height growth, and the lower limbs are well 
pruned ofi^. In practice this would mean a moderate thinning 
when the stand is from twenty to thirty years old, and a heavier 
one ten to fifteen years later. If the rate of growth of our native 
trees and their response to treatment were better known, we could 
afford to thin at some net expense, being able to calculate what 
the profit would be; but unfortunately American foresters have 
not had time to gather the necessary data on this subject, and 
until we do, the rule of letting the material pay the expense is the 
best to follow. 

What to Thin. 

The extent to which a closed stand may be opened up depends 
on several circumstances. Species which are called " tolerant," 
because they stand the shade well, should be kept quite thick, for 
they cling tenaciously to their side limbs. Hemlock and beech 
are extreme examples of " tolerant " trees. A forest on a dry. 



IMPROVEMENT THINNINGS IN 



sandy soil or on a hill top should not be thinned as heavily as one 
on low, moist ground; because under such circumstances the soil 
must be kejjt shaded to retain the scanty supply of moisture. The 
age of the trees and the kind of timber desired have an influence 
on the decision of what to take. For instance, if the owner of a 
chestnut sprout stand wishes it to yield poles rather than ties or 
lumber, he should thin it lightly. 

The simplest problem of thinning is in a woodlot consisting of 
but one species. We first divide the trees into four classes : dom- 
inant, intermediate, suppressed, and dead. Dominant trees have 
large, full crowns, well up in the light. Intermediate trees receive 
light from above, but are somewhat crowded at the sides, some 
more than others. Suppressed trees are those which have been 
wholly overtopped by their more vigorous neighbors, and are 
slowly dying. A moderate thinning would consist in the removal 
of the intermediate trees which are closely pressed by their neigh- 
bors, and all the suppressed trees if they will make a marketable 
product. Dead trees do no injury to the growing cro|), and are 
only removed to improve the appearance of the woods, or as a pre- 
caution against fires. 

When the woodlot contains a number of species the problem be- 
comes more complicated, for we have the relative value of species 
as another factor which we must consider. The relative worth 
of different species depends in part on their value in the market; 
in part on the owner's plans as to the final disposition of the wood- 
lot; and in part on their adaptability to the soil in which they are 
growing. 

The hard woods of the eastern part of the United States are 
divided into two types : the northern and the southern. Generally 
speaking, the order of preference in the northern hard woods would 
be rock maple, paper birch, yellow birch and beech. Among the 
southern hard woods the names might be arranged as follows : 
chestnut, white ash, red oak, hickory, white oak and soft maple. 
Gray birch, poplar and wild cherry are usually classed as forest 
weeds, and are taken out. Where these latter three species are 
gi'owing by themselves, and are not interfering with other and 
better trees, they can of course be left; but they are not worth any 
improvement work. 

^Tiere white pine is mixed with deciduous trees, it is usually 
favored at their expense; and spruce in the higher altitudes should 
be similarly benefited. Pitch pine, however, is in a class below 



MASSACHUSETTS WOODLANDS. 9 

the better hard woods; and there is no call to favor hemlock, 
because it is very " tolerant." 

After the trees have been classified and the order of preference 
by species determined upon, a third consideration must enter into 
our calculations. Defects, such as decayed trunks, fire scars or 
extreme crooks, are a sufficient reason for the removal of a tree ; so 
that it is not impossible to have a woodlot in which the dominant 
trees, being in poor condition or of a valueless species, would be 
removed. Such a cutting could, however, scarcely be called a thin- 
ning, but would rather partake of the nature of an improvement 
cutting. 

One can readily understand that the man who is put in charge 
of a thinning operation must have sound judgment, and be well 
instructed in the principles of the work. Where possible, it is well 
to have a trained forester mark the trees to be cut. It is better 
to be conservative rather than radical in the selecting of the trees to 
be removed, as a thinning which is too light can be easily remedied, 
but one which is too heavy will take years to mend. A mere clean- 
ing up of the underbrush and a few suppressed trees is not a thin- 
ning, however. 

In practice it is customary to blaze the trees to be cut, and often 
they are blazed twice, once about 4 feet from the ground, and once 
low down on the stump. Unless one has great confidence in his 
man, it is not wise to let the chopping out at so much a cord, 
because as a rule in a thinning operation we take only the smaller 
and poorer trees, so that the chopper is under a great temptation 
to increase his pile by taking some of those intended to be left., 
and it is difficult to detect the fraud. 

ExplajStation of Diagrams. 
We have endeavored to represent in Diagram No. 1 a section of 
a typical sprout chestnut stand, 50 feet in length and 20 feet in 
width. The trees of the dominant class are marked A ; the inter- 
mediate class, B; and the suppressed trees, D. The small maples, 
although apparently suppressed, are not so ; but, being very tolerant 
of shade, they have come up under the shadow of the chestnuts, 
and form a sort of second cover. The trees removed in thinning 
include five suppressed, two intermediate and one dominant. The 
dominant chestnut was removed primarily because of its poor, 
crooked bole, and secondarily because there was a good red oak 
and a chestnut ready to grow into the vacated space. The maples 



10 IMPROVEMENT THINNINGS IN 

were not cut, because they were so small that they could not inter- 
fere with the larger trees, and they help to keep the ground shaded 
until the broken cover is re-established. Diagram No. 2 represents 
the stand as it appeared after the thinning. 

Diagram No. 3 represents a group of six sprouts, originating 
from a single stump. They range from 4 to 8 inches in diameter, 
and from 45 to 55 feet in height. It is difficult to show on a flat 
piece of paper and by a diagrammatic drawing the sprouts as they 
were actually placed around the central stump ; but in the space 
allotted by nature to the group they were overcrowded. The prob- 
lem was then to reduce their number in such a way that the crowns 
of those that remain will utilize the limited space to the best ad- 
vantage. The drawing marked " After " shows how this was done. 
The diagram does not indicate very well why the left-hand sprout 
should have been taken away, but its removal was determined by 
its relation to neighboring trees not shown in the picture. 

RESULTS OF THINNING. 

We said in the section on the " Theory of Thinning " that the 
more light and air a tree receives, the more rapidly it grows in 
diameter; so that a thinning, by opening up the stand and allow- 
ing the crowns of the remaining trees to enlarge, stimulates the 
volume growth of the stand. There are fewer trees in the stand, 
but larger and better ones. This may not be considered important 
nntil we realize how much more valuable a tree of large diameter 
is than a small one. For example, the average white pine, 10 
inches in diameter breast high, and 60 feet in height, contains 
95 feet of round-edge lumber; whereas a pine of the same height, 
15 inches in diameter, contains 195 board feet of lumber. That is, 
with a 50 per cent, gain in diameter there is an increase of 100 per 
cent, in the product. This is not the whole story, because with the 
increase in the size of the tree the boards are wider and have less 
knots, yielding a higher price; so that the gain in money value 
is even greater than the increase in volume. An average chestnut 
tree 10 inches in diameter will produce 2. ties and .03 cords of fire 
wood. Supposing a railroad tie to be worth 50 cents, the tree may 
be said to be worth about $1. A 15-inch chestnut will yield 5 ties 
and .06 cords of wood, worth about $2.50, or an increase in money 
value of 150 per cent. In the case of sprout oaks and other sprout 
hard woods, thinnings made at the right time may result in con- 
verting what would otherwise be nothing but a cord-wood lot into 
one of saw-timber size. 







< 



MASSACHUSETTS WOODLANDS. 11 

If as a result of thinning the trees become larger in a given 
space of time, conversely they will attain any suitable size in a 
shorter space of time than without a thinning. The experiments 
of European foresters have shown that the rotation of the timber 
crop can be shortened by judicious thinnings from 10 to 20 per 
cent. 

In the course of this work many unsightly and diseased trees 
are removed, and this fact tends to make the woodland more at- 
tractive to the eye. Where forest land is used for park purposes 
as well as for timber production, a moderate thinning is highly 
recommended. It should, however, be conducted under careful 
supervision, as the tendency is often towards a " sand-papering " 
treatment of the woods, to which many people who love primitive- 
ness in nature object; and they wrongfully believe this effect to 
be a necessary result of forestry work. 

IS THINNING PRACTICABLE? 

There are many owners of forest property who, although they 
do not doubt that a thinning will benefit their woods, say that the 
cost of the work is prohibitive. Of course there are many places 
in this State so remote from a market that the product will not 
even pay the charge for labor; but the trouble with most of these 
people is, that they want to get back their wages, a fair stumpage, 
and often an additional profit, from work meant for improvement 
only. It is an especially valuable line of work for the landowner 
who is obliged to keep men and horses through the winter months, 
with little for them to do. Such a man makes something out of 
the thinning work, no matter if the actual returns are small. 

In the sprout hard-wood stands, from 3 to 8 cords will be found 
to be the usual product of thinnings, depending on the age and 
density of the stand. In the seedling hard woods and mixed stands 
the density is so variable as to make any definite statement in re- 
gard to the probable product of thinnings impossible. As a rule, 
about one-third of the trees and from one-fifth to one-quarter of 
the total volume in the woodlot are taken out in this work. 

Two years ago this office published a small pamphlet containing 
data on the white pine. Part of this booklet was given over to 
yield tables. A pine yield table is one which shows the volume of 
well-stocked pine stands at different ages, which in this case ranged 
from twenty-five to fifty-five years. These tables were made by 
measuring the trees on many sample plots of all ages, and averaging 
the results. When these sample plots were calipered, those trees 



12 



IMPROVEMENT THINNINGS IN 



which would be removed if the stand was thinned were noted sep- 
arately. From this data a table of the yield from pine thinnings 
was made and published at that time. We print it again in this 
pamphlet, on account of its connection with the subject. 



Yield from Thinnings. 
Trees under 5 inclies, from report of the New Hampshire Forestry Commission, 1906. 









Trees over 5 Inches in Diameter. 


Trees under 5 Inches in 
Diameter. 


AGE (YEARS). 


Board 
Feet. 


Value at 

$16 
per M. 


Stump- 
age 

at $6. 


Cubic 
Feet. 


Cords. 


Value at 
$3 per 
Cord. 


Cubic 
Feet. 


25, . 
30, . 
35, . 
40, . 
45, . 
50, . 
55, . 






1,400 
3,700 
4,950 
6,000 
6,800 
7,400 
7,900 


$22 40 
59 20 
79 20 
96 00 
108 80 
118 40 
126 40 


$8 40 
22 20 
29 70 
36 00 
40 80 
44 40 
49 40 


280 
720 
850 
1,030 
1,140 
1,240 
1,310 


7y2 

6 

41/2 

3 

iy2 


$22 50 
18 00 
13 50 
9 00 
4 50 


750 
600 
450 
300 
150 



MISCELLANEOUS CUTTINGS. 

There are many kinds of cuttings which one can make to improve 
woodland, which cannot strictly be called thinnings, because their 
primary object is not to open up the crown cover, in order to 
stimulate the growth of the trees. It is not always possible to 
draw a hard-and-fast line between such improvement cuttings and 
thinnings, because one may partake of the nature of the other, 
and the two may be carried out at the same time. Sugh cuttings 
can best be suggested by a few examples. 

We will suppose that an insect pest which attacks some particu- 
lar species of tree, for instance, maples, is more or less prevalent 
in a region. As a matter of protection, the owner of mixed wood- 
land might go through it and take out all the maples, so as not 
to attract the insects to his land. The removal of hard woods 
from a pine stand as a precaution in fighting gypsy moths is an- 
other protection cutting, which we have described elsewhere in 
this bulletin. 

One often finds among the woods large, spreading old trees, more 
or less decayed and of little value for timber. It is good forest 
policy to cut such trees down, and to allow the large amount of 
ground space which they occupy to come up to a new growth of 
more value. 



MASSACHUSETTS WOODLANDS. 13 

In old, abandoned pastures we often see young pines coming up 
underneath a stand of gray birches. While the pine seedlings are 
very young, let us say not more than four or five years old, the 
birches protect them from the hot sun and wind, and act in the 
role of nurse trees. But as the pines increase in size, they need 
the sunlight; and, further, the branches of the birches, as they 
sway in the wind, cut the tender leading shoot of the pine, killing 
it and causing the tree to be stunted and crooked. In such cases 
the birches should be removed; but if they are too small to make 
cord wood, or if the young pines are scattered, it is only necessary 
to remove the trees immediately surrounding the pines. If done 
in this manner, one man can easily cover an acre or two a day. 

If diseased or decaying trees are removed from a stand with 
no special reference to the principles of thinning, the operation is 
an improvement cutting, and not a thinning. 

THINNINGS IN GYPSY MOTH WORK. 

Nowhere are thinnings more useful than in woodland infested 
with the gypsy moth. The cost of the work against this pest, may 
it be spraying, burlapping, or creosoting egg clusters, is in a large 
measure proportional with the number of trees to be treated. One 
of the first methods used in the work against the gypsy moth in 
woodlands is to remove the underbrush, and in that way reduce the 
material to be worked on as much as possible; and it is extremely 
beneficial, as well as advisable, at the same time to carry on a 
scientific thinning, and remove from the woods all the trees which 
will not compose the final stand. 

A thinning made in preparation for the work against the gypsy 
moth should be of the heaviest nature possible, consistent with a 
fair protection to the soil. 

A change is also necessary in the preference of species, the gypsy 
moth being especially fond of oaks; and it is also hard to detect 
the egg clusters on white oaks, so that as far as possible they should 
be removed from the final stand. The gypsy moth caterpillars do 
not seem to be as fond of hickory, walnut, ash, chestnut or swamp 
maple as they are of most of the other species of deciduous growths. 
From experiments which have been carried on in a very thorough 
manner, it has been proven that the small gypsy moth caterpillar 
cannot feed upon the conifers; and where thinning operations are 
being carried on, and a mixed growth must be taken into considera- 
tion, it is advisable to separate the conifers from the deciduous 
growth, thus giving an opportunity to use tanglefoot and protect 



14 IMPROVEMENT THINNINGS IN 

the conifers, as they do not hold as much poison as the broad- 
leaved trees. Also, where pine stands have a small scattering of 
deciduous growth mixed with them, they may be spared from the 
ravages of the gypsy moth by removing all deciduous trees, and in 
that way insure the owner permanent protection, providing he pro- 
tects the border of the coniferous growth. 

It might be well to mention that the brown-tail caterpillars will 
not feed upon the coniferous growth. 

Within any part of the State where there is danger of a moth 
infestation, the woodland owner will not only improve the condi- 
tion and growth of his forests by thinning, but will be in a position 
to combat these pests in a more effective and economical measure 
than otherwise. 

EXPERIMENTAL WORK. 

The office commenced this fall to make some permanent sample 
plots, with the purpose of obtaining data on the growth of thinned 
stands. 

The first of these plots was in a sprout chestnut stand of thirty 
years' growth, situated near the bottom slopes of the northeast face 
of a rocky hill. The soil is thin, but fertile and moist. The sample 
plot covered i/o acre, and within this area the trees to be removed 
in the thinning were blazed. All the trees were then calipered, the 
blazed trees being noted separately from the others, with the result 
that the total stand on the 1/4 acre amounted to 15 cords of chestnut 
and 2 cords of miscellaneous wood. The following table represents 
the tally sheet, and shows the different species and their proportion 
in the mixed growth. The trees in Class II. are those that were 
marked for thinning. 



MA SSA CHUSETTS WOODLANDS. 



15 



Sample Plot for Chestnut Thinning (V2 Acre). 











Class I. 


Class II. 


DIAMETER 
BREAST HIGH 

(INCHES). 


4^ 

a 

1 



6 


i 



'.a 




s 




a 


0. 



» 

3 


M 

C3 


13 
P>3 


.a 
hi 

s 




•0 


2, 
3, 

4, 
5. 
6, 
7, 
8, 
9, 
10, 
11, 
12. 
13, 








1 

11 

22 

20 

25 

13 

3 

2 

1 


5 
3 

2 


2 

2 
2 


2 

1 

2 
2 

1 


- 


4 
15 
24 
16 
4 
3 
3 


20 
15 
3 


5 
17 
5 


3 

7 

2 
2 


9 

18 
1 


3 

16 

22 

5 

2 


Tot 


lis, 


98 


10 


6 


8 





69 


38 


27 


14 


28 


48 



Average Heights. 
Feet. 



Chestnut, Class 1., 57 

Chestnut, Class II., . . . .50 
Red oak, Class 1 51 



Red oak. Class II., . 
White oak, Class II., 
Red maple. Class II., 



Feet. 
. 35 
. 37 
. 24 



The marked trees were then cut down, chopped mto -i-foot bolts, 
and piled as follows (only the larger, sound dead wood was cut 
into cordwood) : — 

Cords. 

1.3 



Trees (not bolts) 5 to 7 inches breast high diameter, 
Trees (not bolts) 7 to 9 inches breast high diameter, 
Trees (not bolts) 3 to 5 inches breast high diameter. 
Trees (not bolts) 1 to 3 inches breast high diameter, 
Dead wood, ....... 

Total, 



.6 
.4 

.2 



3.3 



To summarize, if this entire chestnut lot, running 30 cords to 
the acre, were thinned, we would take out more than one-half the 
total number of trees yielding about 6 cords of wood per acre, or 
one-fifth of the total volume. 

Unfortunately, a fire ran through the woodlot soon after the 
work was completed, and, although it was not hot enough to injure 



16 IMPROVEMENT THINNINGS IN 

the trees severely, their growth will be impaired in some degree, 
and the value of the lot for future measurements is destroyed. 

In the town of Petersham we found an old pasture, containing 
a thick growth of gray birch, among which a lot of young pines 
now about twelve years old showed in an ideal way their struggles 
to get above their grasping neighbors. A half-acre sample plot 
was measured off, and all the birches cut on one-half of this plot. 
The other quarter-acre was not touched, so that there could be a 
comparison made of the difference in the growth of the pine on 
the improved and unimproved sections. If our theory proves cor- 
rect, a very few years will suffice to show the difference. 

Two men spent two and one-half days in getting out the birch 
and piling the brush, and the usable product was 4 cords of fire 
wood. 

In the fall of 1907 Mr. J. J. Dearborn, then assistant in this 
office, marked for a thinning a pine lot of 12 acres, belonging to 
Dr. P. W. Goldsbury, in Warwick, Mass. When the time came to 
let out the contract for chopping the trees, no lumberman would 
take it, saying that such work was impracticable, as it would be 
impossible to fell the trees without lodging them. Mr. Dearborn 
then gathered together a crew of his own, employing them as day 
laborers. After spending a couple of weeks with them at the start 
of the work, he allowed the crew under the direction of a practical 
woodsman to complete it, and the result was satisfactory in every 
way. Ko insurmountable difficulties appeared in either the chop- 
ping or the logging. 

Mr. Dearborn's report, describing the conditions, explaining the 
methods of work, and showing the financial results, forms a valua- 
ble document, and we herewith reproduce it. 

REPORT ON THE PRACTICAL THINNING OF A WHITE PINE 

WOODLOT. 

Introduction. 
The following report is a record of the conditions and facts con- 
nected with the experimental thinning of a white pine woodlot in 
Warwick, Mass., belonging to Dr. P. W. Goldsbury. 

The Tract. 
The tract extends over an area of 12 acres of gradual swales and 
ridges at the bottom of a valley. Excepting for a small area where a 
ledge outcrops or lies very near the surface, the soil is a deep, sandy 
loam of good moisture, and everywhere well drained. 




.- ''^^''4»^''**'w? L:i^ 




3^ 



MASSACHUSETTS WOODLANDS. 



17 



The stand, which averages fifty years of age, is interrupted by two 
small ponds from being a block of solid growth. This growth is a 
result of a natural seeding of an old pasture. As a result of this 
natural seeding, there are represented two conditions which governed 
the policy of the thinnings, — the first that of a dense condition where 
the trees had practically started at the same time and grown uj^ to 
form an even-aged stand, tall and comparatively clean of their side 
limbs. A sample plot taken in this condition will better illustrate it : — ■ 

Plot 1/4 Acre, South of Baptism Pond, in Dikection of the House. 







Diameter Breast High (Inches). 




6 


7 


8 


9 10 


11 


12 13 


14 


15 


16 


17 


18 


22 


No. of trees, 


3 


.5 


3 


9 


8 


4 


7 


7 


7 


3 


4 


2 


2 


2 





A total of 66 trees, or 264 to the acre, with a height of 65 to 70 
feet. 

Plot 1,4 Acre, on the Flat between the Two Ponds. 







Diameter Breast High (Inches). 




5 


6 


7 


8 


9 10 


11 


12 


13 


14 


15 


16 


No. of trees. 


2 


3 


12 


12 


13 


14 


12 


6 


9 


4 


3 


I 





A total of 91 trees, or 364 to the acre, with a height of 60 to 70 
feet. 

A better idea of the density of these trees can be realized if it is 
known that 302 trees spaced regularly over an area would be 12 by 12 
feet apart. 

The other condition was that where a few trees had started and de- 
veloped very wide spreading, and with large side limbs near to the 
ground. The density varied from a condition where the side limbs of 
the trees came together and completely shaded the ground, to where 
the trees stood with open spots and areas about them. In these open 
areas there was almost always a good reproduction of white pine com- 
ing in among the blueberry, huckleberry and kalmia bushes. The fol- 
lowing sample area was taken where the pines had a great deal of 
room about them, with a good reproduction of pine coming in : — 



Plot 14 Acre, Northeast of Large Pond, in Direction 


of a Field. 




Diameter Breast High (Inches). 




9 


16 


18 22 


24 


No. of trees 


1 


1 


1 


1 


1 





A total of 5 trees, or 20 to the acre, with a height of 55 to 60 feet. 



18 



IMPROVEMENT THINNINGS IN 



OwNER^s Desire. 
It was Dr. Goldsbury's first desire not to mar the beauty of his 
farm, or to make his woodlot an eyesore to the village of his town by 
cutting and stripping the land of its fine growth. Furthermore, he 
desired to take such steps as would improve his lot and place it in 
a more flourishing condition, so that it would come down to the 
younger generation unimpaired. Lastly, his difficulty in getting any 
one to attempt the thinning of his lot influenced him to sacrifice his 
woodlot to an experiment which would make a basis of calculations 
for such work in the future. 

General Policy. 

For the first condition above mentioned or the even-aged growth, the 
IDlan was to thin out the weak and poorer trees, leaving the good speci- 
mens with sufficient room for their tops to spread and develop without 
retardation for some ten years at least. The ground for this policy 
was based on the fact that the trees had made their main height growth, 
and their energies were now towards developing their diameters. The 
growth in diameter of a tree is in proportion to the size of its top, 
since the leaves are the laboratories of the food material which goes 
to make up the growth, — the more laboratories, the faster the growth. 

With this theory in mind, actual practice meant leaving the better 
and more promising individuals with sufficient room about them to 
allow the tops to grow unchecked for at least ten years. If this is 
successfully accomplished, the trees will have developed a larger top, 
more laboratories or a larger feeding area. 

The following data shows the proportion of trees in number and 
volume removed and left on the same area : — 







Diameter Breast High (Inches). 




5 


6 


7 


8 


9 10 


11 


12 


13 14 


15 


16 17 


18 


19 


20 


21 


22 


Trees removed. 
Trees left, 


6 

1 


17 

1 


31 
3 


30 
10 


38 
16 


40 
32 


17 
19 


18 
36 


12 10 
36 32 


3 

29 


24 


2 

24 


1 
10 


- 
4 


4 


4 


1 





A total of 225 removed and 2S6 now standing; in volume (according 
to Massachusetts volume tables), 27,050 B. M. feet were removed and 
50,140 B. M. feet left; in fact, about two-fifths of the trees in num- 
ber and one-third the volume were taken out in the thinnings. 

For the second condition the policy was that of encouraging a 
natural regeneration where a good reproduction did not exist, and 
assisting a good reproduction where it did exist. Wherever the trees 
were close enough together, so as to form a complete shade, certain 



MASSACHUSETTS WOODLANDS. 19 



of the poorer specimens were taken out, allowing light to enter and 
encouraging the growth of any seedlings. 

Wherever a good reproduction had started around or underneath 
any of these large pines, better known to lumbermen and foresters as 
the " pasture pines," they were removed, taking care to destroy as few 
of the smaller or young trees as possible. 

Through the entire work there were not any hard-and-set rules which 
could be followed entirely, for there was here and there a problem 
which could be decided only on the spot. Around the edges of the 
stand, thinning if carried on at all was not very heavy, since it was 
thought that too much sun and wind would be admitted from the sides. 
The presence of a ledge outcropping and lying very near the surface 
in one instance resulted in a very light thinning, since it was thought 
that the stand on it was liable to windfall. Other local problems were 
treated in like manner, but as a rule the main ideas were not deviated 

from. 

The Operating. 

Every tree to be removed was blazed with a hatchet, in order that 
the choppers might not make any mistake. In marking, care was 
necessary in order to mark those with which there would not be any 
difficulty in felling. Oftentimes it was necessary to remove trees where 
some difficulty could not be avoided; yet there were also times when a 
little foresight would obviate any trouble and still allow good specimens 
to remain. A little time was sufficient to mark an area which would 
take some time for the choppers to cover. 

The choppers were most efficient in gangs of three. One man, going 
ahead, would under-cut tree just above the ground and on the side 
towards which it was to fall. It is remarkable to observe the skill 
some men have in directing the tree through any small opening by the 
right position of this under-cut on the tree. The other two men fol- 
lowing him would saw just above and on the opposite side of the 
under-cut until the tree fell. It was the first man's duty now to trim 
the tree of its side branches and mark the tree into logs with lengths 
most economical for it to be sawed by the other two men. 

This system sounds bunglesome to relate, but, once started, one man 
should not be interrupted or in the way of the others, and under 
ordinary conditions the work would be about equally portioned. 

Frequently a tree was found so wedged in between its neighbors, 
their limbs interwoven, or so balanced in regard to its necessary felling 
direction, that some means was required to give the tree a start before 
it would fall. This was overcome in large trees by wedging the stump 
* and bole in the saw-kerf, or in small trees by directing the men to throw 
their weight against the tree. Other methods were: picking up small 
trees and carrying them away at the bole in the opposite direction they 
were to fall; felling other trees against the one which does not start; 



20 IMPROVEMENT THINNINGS IN 



and, finally, the most useful method, — that of turning the tree with 
a eant-hook, twisting its top in the direction of least support until it 
gains momentum sufficient to crash to the ground. 

The labor of chopping over the 12 acres required 748 hours. Over 
this area many of the so-called " pasture pines " were removed, which 
always tended to make the average cost high, since so much time was 
required to rid them of their side branches. The fact is that the more 
expensive trees were removed and the least expensive to handle were 
left. 

Good woodsmen are obtained for $2 per day, or for 74.8 days an 
expense of $149.60 over the whole work. The logs were sawed " live- 
run " into 2%-inch plank with 1-ineh sidings, and according to the 
mill scale totaled between 125,000 and 130,000 B. M. feet. Upon the 
basis of 130,000 feet, the average cost would be $1.15 per thousand 
for the felling and sawing into logs. 

The ordinary contracting price when cutting clean is around $1 per 
thousand, — sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less ; as a 
rule, however, a little more, getting as high as $1.30 per thousand. 
The chopping of this lot clean would have cost $1 to contract. 

Since it was foreseen that the removing of the " pasture pines " was 
sure to add to the average cost of chopping the improvement thinnings, 
a record was kept of the labor and the material removed from an area 
where the work was entirely that of thinning. It required 112.5 hours 
to go over 2.5 acres, where 27,000 feet were removed and 50,000 feet 
left. At the rate of $2 per day, $22.50 was the cost of the work of the 
improvement thinning, or an average of $0.83 per thousand by day 
labor. 

The logging of this tract was done upon a low, four-wheeled truck 
for two horses, since it was found to be more handy in driving about 
the trees than the ordinary wooden-shod sled or " skid." On snow a 
traverse sled was used. A few of the trees had to be snaked out with 
a horse, but ordinarily two men could handle the logs by actually pick- 
ing them up and carrying them to the sled or truck. The ordinary con- 
tracting price for logging this lot would not be over $1.50 per thousand, 
and the additional expense for picking the logs up from among the trees 
left standing was not over $0.15 per thousand. 

Conclusion. 
Up to date (December, 1909) there are no bad results in the stand 
left. 

From a practical standpoint there seem to be quite definite con- 
clusions that it is possible to thin out a pine growth fifty years of age 
with an additional cost of not over $0.15 per thousand for chopping 
and $0.15 per thousand for the logging under ordinary conditions. 

Joseph J. Dearborn. 

Aug. 15, 1908. 




GOLDSBURY LOT, GUIDING THE FALL OF A LODGED 
TREE BY USE OF THE CANT DOG. 




GOLDSBURY LOT, DURING THINNING 
(INTERIOR VIEW). 




15 



MASSACHUSETTS WOODLANDS. 21 



APPLICATION FOR EXAMINATION. 

Should you desire an examination for thinning send to the State 
Forester for a blank application like the following, fill it out and 
send it in : — 




j^Q Received • 

APPLICATION 

FOR AN 

EXAMINATION OF FOREST LANDS 

TO THE 

MASSACHUSETTS STATE FORESTER; 

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON. 

The State Forester stands ready at all times to promote the per- 
petuation, extension and proper management of the forest lands of the 
Commonwealth, both public and private (1904, chap. 409, sec. 2). _ 

If you have such lands and desire an examination of them and advice 
as to their management, fill out the following blank form and send it 
to the above address of State i'orester. 

Upon receipt, this request will be placed on file, and you will be 
informed, in order of application, approximately when the examination 
can be made, and a mutual date can then be decided upon. 

The only expense the applicant promises to pay is that of travel and 
subsistence of the State Forester or his assistants, incurred in making 
the examination. 

It is always more satisfactory to personally meet on the property 
the owner or party most interested, at least when the preliminary ex- 
amination is made. In this way a definite understanding can be had 
as to future undertakings, and whether working plans are necessary. 
Often a preliminary visit to gain knowledge of the problem and give 
advice on the grounds are all the services needed. 

When sending this application in, a brief description of the land 

will assist us. 

With the above understanding, I desire to have an examination made 

of a tract of land of approximately acres, located 

in the town of county of State of 

Massachusetts. 

Signed 



Address . 
Date 19 



X 



